Nix Maytski, it is a good day to be on the Umatilla Indian Reservation!! Yesterday, we packed up our camp at the Lava Lakes camp site and performed a “Leave No Trace” sweep before we got on the road.

–Before I go on about our journey from camp, I would like to mention that the day before we left, I held a beadworked pouch making class at our campsite. I cut out the buckskin so everyone had the same size pouch to bead and gave a little intro into design and method. Of course, there was a little frustration and some broken needles, but in all the workshop ended with smiling faces and enough beads were given to all who did not finish their project yet. The student were creative in their designs, which went from a breast cancer ribbon to basketballs to an quote that read “I Love Food”. All returned back to camp with smiling faces.

It was a long ride from Lava Lakes through Biggs Junction, OR, and down the Columbia Gorge, to finally arrive on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Surely a long ride but a beautiful one.

Our group arrived at the home of the Red Elk family and were greeted by Loveda, who is a gifted artist who works with glass. She shows us her display and invites us to create our own work of art using her glass mediums. We break into groups and she graciously coaches us on how to handle the material, cut the glass, form shapes and finally assemble the draft project. We are shown the firing kiln and those who finish first put their art in to be fired. I finish nearly last, and mine will be fired in the last set and I should get my glass plate in the mail maybe in a week or so (?)… The night is wrapped up as we cook our dinner over the fire in small foil packets. I dine on a packet of diced potatoes, celery, carrots, with canned sockeye on top. Delicious. I retire to my tent and the rest of the group are invited to sit by the fire and quietly reflect on the day and partake of s’mores.

Today, we will attend a presentation by the CTUIR DNR program abut how they decided to manage their resources-and hopefully a museum tour.

I am happy.

Hoping to post some pictures of the students as they participated in hikes, and of our hosts.

Today we woke bright and early we are n ow at the Deschutes National Forest, camping near a place called Lava Lakes. We arrived last night to find a great number of firefighters camped at the same place so we went farther back and set up camp. Today we went to a tributary of the Deschutes River and learned that the USFS is trying to regenerate quaking aspen and so we were thinning out the lodgepole pine and knapweed. It was really fun! We learned about the Pathways program and the different levels of internships available. We also went to the Tumalo Falls which had a spectacular view, and the visitors I met there were very interested in our journey, and wish us well. Overalll it was a very good day and I look forward to whatever comes tomorrow!!

We are getting ready for takeoff!! I have supplies ready and hopefully will have time during our trip to teach a few cultural arts workshops–including making parfleches (shaptakays), cordage and we will see what other natural resource products we will run into that will become relevant….